Thursday, 22 November 2012

The First years are nearing the end of their first module and some of the work has been of a high order. Here are some lovely drawings and illustrations created by Georgia (she also made the terrific collage that is our banner).

Illustrator and Course Director at Kingston University Geoff Grandfield visited us recently. Geoff talked about his career as an editorial illustrator and how his work has been shaped and formed through his love of the photographic image. He also explained about how he completed a Folio Society commission to illustrate all of Graham Greene's novels and revealed his role in the redesign of the visitor experience at the Tower of London (The Crown Jewels no less)!.

The third years have been busy illustrating Brave New World for the Folio Society awards 2013. John Walker, spent some time experimenting with paper-making techniques to prepare the surfaces for his compositions that are based on research and reference material gathered from volumes of medical illustration journals. The results are these beautifully intriguing illustrations that explore the use of external stimuli to manage the body and its functions.

Hannah Rees made a careful reading of the text and used the subtle references to bottles, containers (and mushrooms) as the starting point for her delightful illustrations. Brave New World was written in the 1930's and we think these illustrations have echoes of the art and design trends of that era without being derivative. Excellent stuff.

Saturday, 3 November 2012

2011 graduate Jessica Shoolbraid (otherwise known as Illustration Jester) has had a busy summer. First off she was commissioned by the owners of Great Brampton House to complete a mural on the walls of their huge roof terrace. Jessica normally paints the most beautiful little watercolours in her glorious sketchbooks, so the switch to walls and stairwells was somewhat daunting, especially as she had to cope with 20 foot scaffolding ladders on top of a three story building! Well she did it and the result is excellent. The roof terrace will be complete when climbing plants and flowers are added in the spring of 2013. It is hoped that birds and insect life will be attracted and when established the whole space will look amazing. You can see more of the story if you visit her website at http://www.illustrationjester.com/.

The success of the Brampton House mural led to Jessica receiving a second commission to paint the shop front of Quintessential in Truro Cornwall. Here's a picture of Jess with her latest creation. Nice work. What next we wonder?